Second round of Kim Seong-tae’s remittance investigation to North Korea, focusing on identifying the ‘comparativeness’ of Gyeonggi-ssangbang

Kim “Send at least 500,000 dollars in addition to 8 million dollars”… Possibility of ‘third party bribery’
檢 Prospects to focus on finding out whether Gyeonggi-do has promised to support various Ssangbangwool projects

The investigation of the ‘ssangbangwool remittance to North Korea’ reached the ‘second round’ as the prosecution first prosecuted former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Seong-tae for delivering $8 million to North Korea.

If the first indictment revealed the fact that a large amount of money was delivered to North Korea, the follow-up investigation is expected to focus on the purpose of the remittance and whether there is a relationship between Gyeonggi-do and Ssangbangwool in return.

According to the legal community on the 6th, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office 6th Criminal Division (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) arrested and indicted former Chairman Kim on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act on the 3rd, saying that former Chairman Kim delivered $8 million to North Korea on three occasions in 2019. I saw.

◇ Gold, 8 million dollars and book receipt… Send at least $500,000 more

The prosecution found that the remittance was made three times: $2 million in January 2019, $3 million in April, and $3 million in November-December 2019.

The reasons for remittances by time are also different, but the prosecution secured the statement of former Chairman Kim that in the case of remittances in January and April, ‘Gyeonggi-do gave 5 billion won of smart farm support business expenses instead to North Korea’.

Former Chairman Kim’s position is that the additional $3 million that was transferred later was the cost of a visit to North Korea by the provincial governor (then Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myeong), which was promoted by Gyeonggi-do at the time.

Former Chairman Kim is known to have submitted an “8 million dollar receipt (confirmation)” written by Song Myeong-cheol, vice director of the North Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, to the prosecution.

Prosecutors believe that former Chairman Kim remitted at least 500,000 dollars to North Korea in addition to 8 million dollars, and are trying to secure documents or statements to prove this.

◇ Did Gyeonggi-do promise to support business rights and cooperation projects with North Korea?

Above all, the prosecution is focusing on why Ssangbangwool gave nearly 10 billion won in cash to North Korea instead of Gyeonggi-do.

Prosecutors are largely suspicious of two things.

It is whether they promised Ssangbangwool various business rights in Gyeonggi-do, and whether Ssangbangwool, a private company, promised support from local governments in promoting bold cooperation projects such as mineral resources, tourism, and construction with North Korea.

The prosecution said former deputy governor Lee proposed electric motorcycle business, junkyard and waste business, and Ansan landfill park construction project (Ansan Eco Energy Park) to former Chairman Kim, and the statements of those involved that Ssangbangwool actually reviewed or planned to promote these projects. is known to have obtained

In 2019, Ssangbangwool signed an agreement with the North Korean Federation for National Economic Cooperation (Minkyungryeon) to guarantee three Ssangbangwool affiliates ▲ resort construction project in Wonsan-Karma area ▲ development project such as rare earth exploration and mining ▲ participation in North Korean power supply project, promises to pay $100 million.

Prosecutors believe that Gyeonggi-do’s policy support was desperately needed to promote national key industries such as tourism and construction, which Ssangbangwool had never undertaken before.

Regarding the remittance to North Korea during the prosecution’s investigation, former Chairman Kim said, “Former Vice-Governor Lee said, ‘Don’t worry,’ and urged an economic cooperation agreement with North Korea.” is known to have stated that

◇ If there is an unfair solicitation and a price, is third-party bribery possible?

As the investigation into the remittance to North Korea enters the second round, some are raising the possibility that it will turn into a ‘third party bribery case’.

Article 130 of the Criminal Act (Bribes to Third Parties) prohibits a public official from offering, requesting, or promising a bribe to a third party in response to an improper solicitation in relation to his/her duties.

Even if there is no illegality or unfairness in the process of money and goods coming and going, it is a crime that can be established if ‘unjust solicitation’ and ‘compensation’ exist.

An official in the legal profession said, “The suspicion of Lee’s donation to Seongnam FC and the remittance to North Korea are similar in structure to the company that has pending issues for his political gain.” The prosecution will have no choice but to review the application of third-party bribery charges,” he said.

Regarding this, former Vice-Governor of Peace Lee Hwa-young and other suspected parties in Gyeonggi-do deny any connection with the ‘remittance to North Korea’.

Lee Hwa-young, former vice-governor of peace in Gyeonggi-do, who has been identified as the party who closely discussed the economic cooperation project with Ssangbang-wool, denies all the allegations as ‘fiction’.

In a letter sent to his family and lawyer, he claimed, “Gyeonggi-do (Lee Hwa-young) was completely unaware of the contact process between Ahn Bu-soo (President of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, arrested and indicted) and Ssangbang-ul. In particular, the remittance to North Korea was carried out in secret.”

Regarding the investigation of remittances to North Korea, the prosecution recently summoned Bang Yong-cheol, vice chairman of Ssangbang-wool (arrested prosecution), and notified the former deputy governor Lee of the summons, but the former deputy governor Lee is not responding.

Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party, also dismissed the related suspicions as “fiction.”

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